No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 575: Quick-pass Junior Sister, Fulfilling the Promise Embroidery Lady! [Seeking monthly pass! ] (5000 words)
Ouyang Rong discovered that women are interested in dazzling and sparkling things.

Naturally attracted.

Men are different.

I like straight and strong sticks, I can't resist them, I love to pick them up and take them home...

In addition, women, no matter whether they are big or small, find it even more difficult to resist shiny things that attract everyone's attention.

The mandarin duck jade hairpin on the riddle stall in front is a typical example.

That chubby old man with a kind face is definitely a scheming old man.

He deserves to make money.

In the long line, Ouyang Rong turned his back to Xie Lingjiang and fanned himself to suppress the twitching corners of his mouth.

This is how Junior Sister was attracted. This was also how Ms. Rong was attracted before.

It is said that just after saying goodbye to Rong Zhen, Ouyang Rong rushed back to Xunyang Palace at a lightning speed, accompanied his mentor Xie Xun who looked very pleased, and drank a bowl of dry rice balls cooked by his junior sister.

He had already thought of an excuse and asked his mentor to have a few drinks, ready to pretend to be drunk and run away, but Prince Li Xian and Princess Wei Mei heard that he was coming, so they temporarily left the banquet and came to visit him.

After a delay, it's not over yet.

As soon as Li Xian and his wife left, Li Guer and Li Dalang, brother and sister, came right after, having changed into casual clothes.

The two of them used the excuse of accompanying Tan Lang to celebrate the Lantern Festival on behalf of their parents and obtained Li Xian's consent to go out incognito with Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang to enjoy the lantern festival.

Li Dalang, who had just slipped out of the door, said happily that this was exactly A'mei Li Gu'er's idea.

Ouyang Rong didn't know why this little girl had so many bad ideas. She really didn't treat him as an outsider. Could she have some sense of boundaries?

With the tacit consent of the Li Xian couple and the Xie Xun siblings, and even their approval, Ouyang Rong had no choice but to agree, and the four of them left the house in disguise.

The escape plan failed, and Ouyang Rong looked around with a sad face. This time, there was no Pei Shisan Niang and others to help him.

The excuse of being busy with official duties was also broken into by Rong Zhen and was overdrawn.

On the way here, he thought that Li Dalang was a bad teammate and probably of no use, but... he had just got off the car, so he might as well make use of the waste.

Ouyang Rong asked Li Dalang to accompany Li Guoer to the theater to watch circus acrobatics, swordplay, singing and dancing.

He took Xie Lingjiang to the fireworks and lantern festival.

Li Guo'er was of course against it, but Xie Lingjiang and she were not on the same page. Although she said that she was reluctant to leave her best friend, her body was honest and she decisively separated from Li Dalang and his sister, and went to live alone with her eldest brother.

Ouyang Rong smiled secretly, this tactic is called divide and conquer.

With the Dog-Headed Military Advisor Li Guoer around, Ouyang Rong guessed that he would have no chance of escaping tonight.

But what he never expected was that the places his junior sister liked to visit were a bit similar to those of Ms. Rong.

Everyone is interested in this dazzling and shining thoroughfare.

Their eyes were all fixed on the same much-anticipated piece of jewelry that was given a unique attribute by a scheming old man.

All I can say is that throughout history, it has always been easy to make money from women.

"Big Brother, do you look unhappy?"

Standing behind Ouyang Rong, the pretty girl in red clothes suddenly said.

"No, I'm just a little nervous. This riddle seems quite difficult..." Ouyang Rong rubbed his face, sounding a little tired.

Xie Lingjiang grabbed his sleeve, waved it gently, and said:
"I just heard from Wang Caozhi who came back from the palace that there is indeed an urgent matter at the Xunyang Grottoes. If the placement of the Buddha is not handled properly, it is easy to cause a serious accident. Fortunately, Senior Brother went over there."

"Well, we really can't be careless."

Ouyang Rong nodded.

But before his eyes, he couldn't help but recall the face of a short young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes in the carriage who patted his chest confidently to reassure him before he entered the palace.

He felt very relieved.

Xie Lingjiang lowered his eyes and whispered:

"Okay, I hope you're not angry because I was a little unreasonable about what happened tonight."

Ouyang Rong grabbed her hands, which seemed to be at a loss, coughed, and said:

"In fact, Ms. Rong felt a little guilty on the way. She apologized to you in front of me, saying that she was disturbing you late at night. Thinking about it carefully, it was indeed inappropriate. It is reasonable for Junior Sister to be angry."

"Did she really say that?" Xie Lingjiang was suspicious.

Ouyang Rong nodded seriously:

"Yeah, but, hey, she must be embarrassed to say it in front of you, so she asked me to tell you. After the few times we met, Junior Sister should have a general idea of ​​her personality. She looks cold but is warm-hearted. She has no other intentions and it's not intentional..."

He spoke more and more fluently.

"It's possible to be cold on the outside but warm on the inside, but... it's not certain that it's intentional."

Xie Lingjiang turned his eyes away and looked at the lantern tower in the distance.

"What's the purpose?"

Xie Lingjiang did not dwell on this topic any longer. He stood on tiptoe and glanced at the pairs of talented men and beautiful women who were retreating dejectedly on the corridor ahead.

"Big Brother, these riddles seem very difficult. Has this hairpin been left there all night without being taken away? Big Brother, are you sure you want to give it a try? Or... forget it..."

She gave considerate advice, but her tone was a little reluctant.

Ouyang Rong remained in line without changing his pace.

When a woman asks this question, it is no longer a multiple-choice question, but a fill-in-the-blank question with only one fixed answer.

"Since you're here, it's okay. I love guessing riddles the most. Just think of it as accompanying me, little junior sister. If you don't guess it right later, don't laugh at me, senior brother."

Xie Lingjiang hesitated and nodded reluctantly.

"OK then."

The elongated tone is a bit sweet and sticky.

At this moment, Xie Lingjiang saw the scene ahead and asked curiously:
"Hey, big brother, why did that fat boss go upstairs to change the riddles?
"No one has answered correctly yet, why change to a new one?"

"..."

Ouyang Rong's hand holding the handle of the fan paused for a moment, and then he continued to fan, his eyes drifting to the surrounding scenery:
"Ahem, who knows."

……

"Aunt, have we encountered someone who is ruining the place?"

In front of the stall outside the corridor.

Seeing that it was soon the turn of the familiar handsome young man waving a folding fan, the fat child ran back and asked the chubby old man.

"Why are you in such a hurry? You have to be patient when you are out there. I have been traveling around for so many years, and I have been prepared for this."

The chubby old man frowned, scolded his cowardly grandson, and said in a stern tone:
"I hate freeloaders the most, especially those who are a playboy and freeloader. I cannot tolerate them.

"My dear grandson, go back and collect the money. I will go and teach him a lesson. These are the latest lantern riddles that even the talented scholars in Luoyang, the capital, cannot guess. We must let this kid know that there are always people who are better than you and there are always better things."

After saying that, the fat old man opened the precious wooden box, took out a stack of carefully preserved riddle papers with a serious look on his face, hurriedly ran up the corridor and replaced them.

The fat kid scratched his head and went back to the entrance of the corridor, collecting money with one hand and handing out wooden signs with the other.

Seeing that the riddles had been changed, it was Ouyang Rong's turn.

"Here."

The fat child held out a wooden sign with his chubby little hands.

Ouyang Rong took it and walked up the corridor.

However, the fat boy's gaze could not help but fall on the noble lady of the Xie family who was standing outside the corridor behind him and waiting eagerly.

This young lady is so beautiful, like a fairy.

She is much taller than the cold-tempered young lady that this playboy brother just brought over...

It's strange, why does this playboy change girls so frequently? The one in front has already finished the lakeside grove? By the way, what does the lakeside grove that Aung mentioned mean?
Before the fat kid could think about it, a loud noise suddenly came from all around.

The fat kid came back to his senses.

I saw the pretty girl in red clothes outside the corridor in front of me, her mouth slightly opened, and her almond-shaped eyes narrowed into crescents.

The onlookers around also had expressions of shock and admiration on their faces.

The fat kid followed their gaze and looked back blankly.

He immediately saw the handsome young man with a folding fan who had just been brought up with the wooden sign. In the short time he was distracted, he had already walked slowly down the corridor, waving his folding fan gently as he walked in front of the fat old man who was shaking.

……

Ouyang Rong took the wooden sign, walked to the lantern riddle corridor, and looked up at the night sky and the moon.

The moon was about to rise to the zenith, but he had to return before midnight.

Although it was past midnight, it was still lively.

But it was after the Lantern Festival, so he was in breach of contract.

Ouyang Rong took a deep breath.

Throw the lantern in front of you again.

He raised his eyebrows. This new riddle is quite interesting. [When drawn, it is round. When written, it is square. When winter, it is short. When summer, it is long.]

——Guess a scene】

"Chunyan."

[When children look up at the steps, the Qingming decorations are most appropriate.]

Once the thread is broken, you will lose all power. Don't blame the east wind for the separation.

——Guess a toy】

"Paper Kite."

[As April approaches the beginning of May, the window paper is scratched and re-pasted.

My husband has been in Beijing for three years, but he has not sent me a single letter.

——Name four kinds of medicines]

"Pinellia, Saposhnikovia, Chinese Angelica, Angelica Dahurica."

Ouyang Rong spoke clearly without pausing. The people outside the corridor were surprised to find that he spent no more than three breaths in front of each lantern, including browsing.

Instead, it was the time it took to walk between the two lanterns that delayed his steps slightly.
Ouyang Rong maintained an almost even speed, and in about thirty breaths, he read out the answers one by one.

The chubby old man frequently lowered and raised his head to look at the answer note, as if he was afraid that he would be caught wrong, but in the end, his eyes gradually widened.

Amid the shocked exclamations of "Whoa!" from the people around him, Ouyang Rong walked down the corridor.

"Ahem, please pass it to me." He covered his face with a folding fan and pointed at the mandarin duck jade hairpin a little embarrassedly.

The fat old man leaned back, looking at the young man in front of him who had no "moral ethics" with an unpleasant expression, his palm still subconsciously pressed tightly on the mandarin duck jade hairpin... He stared at the young man in front of him who had no "moral ethics" with an unpleasant expression,
"Shopkeeper?" Ouyang Rong called out again tentatively.

The fat old man's face turned red instantly, but he was willing to admit defeat, so he gritted his teeth and handed over the prize.

Ouyang Rong pulled the mandarin duck jade hairpin from the fat old man, turned around, and personally put the hairpin on the little junior sister who was behind him and was delighted to see him.

The fat child came over dejectedly and handed back the three taels of silver.

Ouyang Rong asked: "Does Junior Sister like it?"

"Don't ask... Don't you have any shame, Senior Brother? There are so many people watching us."

She glared at him but stood there motionless, letting him insert the hairpin.

Ouyang Rong smiled heartily, closed his paper fan, and used the fan to push the fat kid's hand holding the three taels of silver toward his arms:
"Since Junior Sister likes it, I won't charge you for it. Thank you, Boss. But... you'd better change to something new next time. Ahem, it's just a suggestion."

No one knew whether he was talking about new poetry riddles or something new, but Ouyang Rong took Xie Lingjiang and left.

The grandfather and grandson were stunned for a moment, looking at each other in bewilderment, but were speechless.

After a while, the old and the young watched Ouyang Rong leave with complicated eyes.

"Aunt, no wonder this elder brother can bring so many young ladies to the lakeside woods..."

"What is the lakeside grove? It's called the moon before the flowers, with thousands of willow branches, the beauty is like the moon, and the gentleman is like jade!"

The fat old man corrected seriously.

Fat kid: ...

……

For a whole hour, Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang went through all the lantern riddles, lanterns, theaters, and other things to do during the Lantern Festival.

Under the red lanterns in front of Jingyi Court, two figures stood quietly, loosened their clasped hands, hugged each other, and said goodbye silently...

It was a real embrace. Ouyang Rong separated them at the first touch. He looked straight ahead and was ready to see the little junior sister go in, but he found that she was hesitant to move. He asked curiously, "Uh, why don't you go in, little junior sister?"

Xie Lingjiang lowered his head to take a look at her neatly-tied chest, which was about to be exposed, and bit his lip: "Big Brother...something is wrong."

Ouyang Rong's expression remained unchanged, and he did not speak. He reached out his hand and pulled out a little black spirit who had been pretending to sleep and eavesdropping for a long time from her sleeve. The little nun in Confucian clothing, who was lifted up by the collar, struggled left and right, and threatened with her neck stiff: "Damn it, you two have no shame, let this fairy down quickly..."

Xie Lingjiang was stunned. Ouyang Rong shrugged his shoulders, stuffed the little Mojing into her arms, clapped his hands, turned around, and shouted to the door: "Teacher, Madam Xie, go to bed early. We still have to travel tomorrow..."

Suddenly, a series of light but hurried footsteps were heard from inside the originally quiet gate, as if they were hurriedly going away.

Xie Lingjiang: ...

Ouyang Rong looked reluctant to leave: "The good night is too short, I am also reluctant to leave... But the teacher will leave tomorrow, come back early, little sister, go and accompany me for a while."

"Big Brother..." Xie Lingjiang was so moved that he couldn't help but call out, his voice choked with sobs.

A big hand reached out and rubbed her head... After a while, the pretty girl in red clothes watched the upright senior brother walk away. She sniffed, smiled sweetly, turned around, and walked lightly into the door...

Back in the carriage, a certain gentleman suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time showed a look of urgency, and spoke very quickly: "Ali, go to Xingzi Lake, quickly."

At this moment, a series of clear wooden fish sounds rang in his ears: [Merit: One Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty-Eight]... [Merit: One Thousand Nine Hundred and Eight]!
The merit points were almost restored to the level before tonight. Ouyang Rong couldn't help but look back in the direction of Jingyi Courtyard. He covered his mouth with his fist and coughed. He looked away guiltily... There was no time to study it now. The carriage under him hurriedly headed towards the shore of Xingzi Lake.

When the carriage arrived at the shore of Xingzi Lake, the moon had already risen to the zenith.

Midnight has arrived.

By the time the carriage arrived at the quiet courtyard and dropped Ouyang Rong off, it was already a quarter of an hour late.

Ouyang Rong looked anxious.

Just now, when he looked from afar outside, he found that the quiet courtyard was pitch black.

"Is he asleep or... gone?"

Ouyang Rong was suddenly startled and ran into the yard.

"Embroiderer!" He rushed into the house and looked around nervously.

There was silence for a moment.

"Ah."

Finally, a weak voice was heard. In the dim courtyard, a slender girl who had been squatting on the ground with her knees hugged stood up, raised her hands and stretched them forward, groping her way forward.

Ouyang Rong ran over and grabbed her two little hands. He finally put down his worries and said in a gentle voice, "Be careful."

"Yeah."

"Why don't you light the lamp? Don't save money for me..."

Ouyang Rong couldn't help but speak in a reproachful tone, but he stopped talking halfway and felt suddenly uncomfortable in his heart.

She really didn't need a light.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingxiu also stood there in a daze. After a while, he turned around without saying a word and went to search for something.

"No, don't order it. I was the one who said it wrongly. Don't be sad..."

The embroiderer ignored him, lit an oil lamp and carefully brought it back. During this time, the hot oil dripped onto the back of her hand, but the flame on her palm did not move at all.

Ouyang Rong was silent. The bright lamp in her hand was lit for him.

Both of them felt guilty for not taking better care of each other.

He took the lamp with trembling hands and immediately changed the subject:

"Well, I'm a little late. Please listen to my explanation..."

The embroiderer shook her head, gently pushed him away, and groped towards the kitchen without looking back.

Ouyang Rong opened his mouth nervously, but soon found that she didn't seem angry.

In the kitchen, there was a clang sound as the lid of a pot was opened.

"This is……"

After a moment, Ouyang Rong looked at the slender girl in front of him who walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of hot and steamed dumplings in her hands. Her face was full of anticipation, and his expression changed slightly.

"Ahem, Miss Xiu Niang, can you save it? I can heat it up and eat it tomorrow morning..." Ouyang Rong muttered softly.

"Ah?" The embroiderer tilted her head, her little face seemed to be stunned for a moment.

"Delicious!"

Ouyang Rong nodded decisively, took the bowl of soup, counted the pearls one by one, and stuffed them into his mouth until his cheeks were bulging.

In the courtyard, beside the stone table, Zhao Qingxiu supported her chin with both hands, and her pretty face, with eyes covered, seemed to be "looking" at him.

She didn't even ask why Ouyang Rong came late tonight.

Ouyang Rong, who was swallowing his fourth bowl of Qianyuan tonight, including the one made by his aunt, raised his head and forced a brilliant smile towards Zhao Qingxiu who was listening to his chewing sounds:

"It smells so good. Wait, do you put chili in the dried dumplings?"

Ouyang Rong's face suddenly changed, and the spicy taste of dogwood filled his mouth, making him gasp.

I didn't expect that the last bowl of Qianyuan tonight would be an assassin. Ouyang Rong was caught off guard, his face flushed, he quickly dropped the bowl, and covered his mouth with both hands: "Mmm."

"Puchi——" The girl blindfolded with a sky-blue ribbon suddenly smiled.

Ouyang Rong paused, staring at the rare smiling face in front of him, and as if possessed by a ghost he reached out his hand and pulled off the sky-blue ribbon.

Under the moon, there is a pretty little face with a smile on her face.

I don’t know if it was an illusion, but there seemed to be some light in her dark eyes that had been dim for a long time.

Twinkling, like the brightest star in the night sky.

(End of this chapter)